Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) - HBW 11, p. 693

Taxonomy:Motacilla Atricapilla Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden. Sister-species of S. borin; the two are the most divergent members of the genus. Geographical variation very slight and largely clinal, and racial boundaries poorly marked; nominate race intergrades with dammholzi in Turkey, Crimea and NW Caucasus, and heineken and pauluccii intergrade widely in Spain and NW Africa. Proposed race riphaea (described from SE Urals, in W Russia) synonymized with nominate, koenigi (Mallorca) with pauluccii, obscura (Madeira) with heineken, and atlantis (Azores) with gularis. Five subspec.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Motacilla Atricapilla Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden. Sister-species of S. borin; the two are the most divergent members of the genus. Geographical variation very slight and largely clinal, and racial boundaries poorly marked; nominate race intergrades with dammholzi in Turkey, Crimea and NW Caucasus, and heineken and pauluccii intergrade widely in Spain and NW Africa. Proposed race riphaea (described from SE Urals, in W Russia) synonymized with nominate, koenigi (Mallorca) with pauluccii, obscura (Madeira) with heineken, and atlantis (Azores) with gularis. Five subspecies recognized.